Springmount Waste Management Facility Landfill Gas Flaring Project

Springmount Waste Management Facility Landfill Gas Flaring Project is a waste sector project located at Springmount, approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Mareeba in the Tablelands region of Queensland. Registered in October 2021, the project is situated at a regional waste facility that serves a vast catchment area extending from Cooktown to Tully. The facility is operated by Remondis Australia Pty Ltd in a joint venture with FGF Developments.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the destruction of methane generated by decomposing organic waste in landfills. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential significantly higher than carbon dioxide. By installing a network of gas collection wells and upgrading the collection system, the project captures this gas and combusts it using a flare. This process converts the methane into carbon dioxide and water, effectively reducing the net greenhouse gas emissions from the site.

The Springmount region experiences a tropical savanna climate, characterized by a distinct wet season in summer and dry, mild winters. Rainfall is generally lower than the coastal Cairns region but remains significant during the monsoon, averaging around 800mm to 1000mm annually. The surrounding landscape consists largely of open woodland and scrub, known locally as "Springmount Scrub," typically supported by granitic sandy loams and red earths. The area supports mixed land uses, including cattle grazing and irrigated agriculture in the nearby Arriga Plains.

A notable feature of the Springmount Waste Management Facility is its engineering standards; it is described as a "triple-lined" landfill, a level of containment considered best practice and unique for the region north of Townsville. The gas collection system includes dozens of wells feeding back to a high-temperature flare designed to burn methane at over 700 degrees Celsius. While the project currently focuses on flaring, Remondis has publicly expressed interest in potentially utilizing the captured gas for renewable electricity generation in the future to support their corporate sustainability goals.